Friday, October 19, 2012

Quick links

What caught my attention recently:

The latest Google and Microsoft earnings show damage from a tech disruption, a shift to mobile that is impacting both badly but for different reasons. Google needs to crack mobile ads. Microsoft needs to get share in mobile computing. ([1][2][3][4])

Now "there are almost as many mobile phone subscriptions in the world as people" ([1][2][3])

Google is getting aggressive, releasing a $99 tablet and a $250 laptop ([1][2][3][4])

Great talk on A/B testing, especially how to do A/B testing at large companies ([1][2])

Amazing speaker list at a workshop on big data for personalized education, slides from many of the talks are available ([1][2])

Sometimes research just confirms what we already know (or should know), in this case, that simpler websites with familiar themes in the design do better ([1][2])

"Savvy Internet users know that all the great stuff they get from the Internet us for 'free' -- the searches, the social networks, the games, even the news -- isn't really free. It's an exchange, where companies are able to take user data, sell it to advertisers, and make money." ([1][2])

"Ever heard of the marshmallow test? The outcome may have more to do with conditioning from a child's environment" ([1])

"Is playtesting essential to making a good game? Yes ... [But] playtesting is like an engraved invitation that reads: 'You are cordially invited to tell me why I suck. Bring a friend - Refreshments served.' The whole point of playtesting is to make clear to you that some of the decisions you made ... are completely wrong." ([1])